1945 Dime Value Checker: Errors List, “D”, “S” & No Mint Mark Worth

1945 Dime value ranges from $0.10 face value to $96,000. That record price was achieved by a Grade 67 example sold through Heritage Auctions in January 2018. If you’re sitting on one of these, upload your coin photo below to get a quick value range for yours. Scroll down to check recent eBay sales and see what buyers are actually paying right now.

 

1945 Dime Value By Variety

Here’s what your 1945 Dime is worth by grade and mint mark. If you already know the grade, jump to the Value Guides section for exact pricing.

Also Read: Top 70+ Most Valuable Mercury Dimes Worth Money (Chart By Year)

 

Top 10 Most Valuable 1945 Dime Worth Money

The coin sitting at #1 is a 1945 Philadelphia Dime graded MS67+FB. It hammered at $96,000. That’s a no-mint-mark coin — the variety most people assume is “common.” Full Bands and a near-perfect grade turned it into a five-figure trophy.

Two San Francisco MS68FB coins follow at $25,850 and $25,300. A Denver MS68FB hit $18,000, and a Philadelphia MS65FB matched it. Mint mark barely matters at these levels — it’s all about grade and strike. Even the bottom of this top-10 list starts at $12,000. That’s a huge gap between a slabbed gem and the average circulated piece sitting in a junk silver bin.

 

History of the 1945 Dime

Adolph Weinman’s Mercury Dime had been in production since 1916. By 1945, it was a familiar fixture in American pockets — nearly three decades old and still one of the best-looking coins the Mint ever produced.

That final year of the series coincided with the last months of World War II. The Mint kept striking dimes at full speed to keep commerce moving through rationing, war bonds, and factory shifts. These coins passed through the hands of soldiers, factory workers, and families counting the days until the war ended.

The 1945 issue turned out to be the Mercury Dime’s swan song. Roosevelt’s death in April 1945 led the Treasury to honor him with a new dime design the following year. So every 1945 Dime you find is a last-of-its-kind coin, struck during one of the most consequential years in modern history. I think that backstory gives these coins a weight that goes beyond just grade or price.

Also Read: Mercury Dime Coin Value (1916-1945)

 

Is Your 1945 Dime Rare?

Here’s what trips people up: the Philadelphia coin had the biggest mintage by far, yet its Full Bands examples are the rarest of all three mints. High mintage doesn’t mean high survival in top grades. The San Francisco coin actually has the best survival rate, but its Micro S sub-variety is a completely different kind of rare. Check the chart above — the FB columns tell the real story.

Use the CoinValueChecker App to instantly check where your 1945 Dime stands on the rarity scale.

 

Key Features of the 1945 Dime

The 1945 Mercury Dime — officially the Winged Liberty Head Dime — was designed by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman. It was struck at three mints and kept the same design from 1916 all the way through this final year.

The Obverse of the 1945 Dime

You’ll see Liberty facing left, wearing a winged Phrygian cap. Weinman meant the wings to symbolize freedom of thought — but most people saw the Roman god Mercury, and the nickname stuck. LIBERTY runs along the upper rim. IN GOD WE TRUST and the date 1945 sit below.

Look to the right of Liberty’s neck for Weinman’s initials, “AW.” They’re small but visible on well-struck examples.

The Reverse of the 1945 Dime

Flip it over. The central design is a fasces — a bundle of rods bound with an axe — wrapped by an olive branch. Strength and peace, side by side.

The mint mark sits between the “E” in ONE and the base of the olive branch. No mark means Philadelphia. A “D” means Denver, an “S” means San Francisco. Now look at the horizontal bands on the fasces. If those bands are fully separated with no mushiness, you’ve got a Full Bands (FB) coin. That detail alone can multiply the value dramatically.

Other Features of the 1945 Dime

The 1945 Dime measures 17.90 mm in diameter and weighs 2.50 grams. It is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, with a reeded edge featuring 118 reeds.

Also Read: Top 100 Rarest Dimes Worth Money (Most Expensive)

 

1945 Dime Mintage & Survival Data

Philadelphia cranked out 159,130,000 dimes in 1945. Denver and San Francisco each struck around 40 million — roughly a quarter of Philly’s output.

But here’s the kicker: out of those 159 million Philadelphia coins, only about 45,000 survived in collectible condition. That’s a survival rate of 0.0283%. To put it another way, for every 3,500 dimes struck in Philadelphia, roughly one made it into a collection. Denver fared a bit better at 0.087%, and San Francisco leads at 0.1073%.

Circulated 1945 Dimes are everywhere. Finding one in high Mint State with Full Bands? That’s where the real hunt begins.

Also Read: Top 100 Most Valuable Roosevelt Dimes Worth Money List (Year Chart)

 

The Easy Way to Know Your 1945 Dime Value

Three things set the price: mint mark, condition, and Full Bands.

Flip the coin over and look for the mint mark — D for Denver, S for San Francisco, no mark for Philadelphia. Then assess overall condition. Sharp details and original luster mean more money. For Full Bands, grab a loupe and check those horizontal bands on the fasces. Fully separated bands are scarce and push values way up in Mint State grades.

Use the CoinValueChecker App to check your coin’s grade directly and see what it’s worth.

 

1945 Dime Value Guides

Three mints, three personalities. Here’s how they break down:

• 1945 No Mint Mark Dime — struck at the Philadelphia Mint, the most commonly encountered variety in circulated grades
• 1945-D Dime — produced at the Denver Mint, generally well-struck and collectible across all grades
• 1945-S Dime — from the San Francisco Mint, known for producing some of the highest-grade examples in the series, including the sought-after Micro S variety

All three are collectible, but condition and strike quality are what separate a melt-value coin from a serious piece.

 

1945 No Mint Mark Dime Value

Most people assume the Philadelphia coin is the boring one. Highest mintage, no mint mark, nothing special — right? Wrong. This is the variety that holds the all-time record for the entire 1945 series.

A 1945 No Mint Mark Dime with Full Bands sold for $96,000 in 2018. Even without the FB designation, an MS67 has brought over $5,000 at auction. The price gap between a circulated example worth a couple bucks and a gem FB coin is enormous.

In circulated grades, you can pick one up for pocket change. But if you’re cherrypicking raw coins and find one with sharp, fully split bands — get it slabbed.

Here are auction records across a range of grades and years so you can see where this coin has actually traded.

The market activity chart shows how much collector interest this coin draws month to month.

 

1945-D Dime Value

If you’re building a high-grade Mercury Dime set, the Denver issue is your friend. It tends to come well-struck, and finding sharp examples in Mint State is easier here than with the Philadelphia coin.

Full Bands still makes a massive difference, though. The auction record for a 1945-D FB coin is $18,000 for an MS68FB, sold at Heritage Auctions in November 2023. Drop the FB designation and a top-grade MS68 has sold for $1,600. That’s a $16,400 gap — all because of those tiny horizontal bands on the fasces.

We think the 1945-D is one of the best entry points for collectors who want a solid Mint State Mercury Dime without breaking the bank.

Check the auction records below to see how 1945-D Dime sales have played out at different grade levels.

The market activity chart below tracks buyer attention month to month.

 

1945-S Dime Value

Did you know San Francisco had the highest survival rate of all three 1945 mints? That’s partly because the Mint there had a reputation for careful striking. The 1945-S typically shows clean details, good luster, and strong eye appeal even in mid-range grades.

An MS68FB example sold for $25,300 at Heritage Auctions in April 2010. Without Full Bands, a top-pop MS68+ still reached $15,000. Those are strong numbers for a coin you can also find raw in a dealer’s junk box for a couple of dollars.

Whether you’re filling a hole in an album or hunting for a registry set coin, the 1945-S delivers at every price point.

Auction records below show how this coin has traded across different grades and sale dates.

Collector demand stays active for this one. The market activity chart puts that in perspective.

1945-S Micro S Dime Value

You can buy one for under $25 or pay $25,850 for the right one. That’s the Micro S in a nutshell.

Collectors first noticed this variety in 1947. The “S” mint mark is noticeably smaller, with sharper-edged serifs compared to the rounder, bulbous shape of the standard 1945-S punch. Once you’ve seen both side by side, you won’t mix them up.

That wide price range is what makes the Micro S so fun. Beginners can afford a circulated example, and advanced collectors chase top-pop FB specimens. Only 10-12% of Micro S dimes show Full Split Bands, and the all-time auction record for an MS68FB hit $25,850 in 2019.

Check the auction records below to see how this variety has performed at different grade levels over the years.

Want to see how actively this variety trades? The market activity chart below is worth a look.

Also Read: 16 Rare Dime Errors List with Pictures (By Year)

 

Rare 1945 Dime Error List

The 1945 Dime series has several well-documented error varieties worth knowing. Some are subtle — you’ll need a loupe. Others jump out once you know what to look for. If you enjoy cherrypicking, these are your targets.

1. 1945 DDO FS-101

This Doubled Die Obverse shows doubling on Liberty’s portrait and the inscriptions. You’ll want magnification to see it clearly — look around the lettering and Liberty’s profile for that telltale shelf-like doubling.

A circulated example carries a modest premium. Sharp Mint State coins with bold doubling are the ones variety collectors really chase.

2. 1945-D Repunched Mint Mark

The D mint mark got punched into the die more than once, leaving a faint shadow or offset image near the primary mark. Look closely at the edges of the D — if you see a ghost image, you’ve got an RPM.

Stronger repunches in higher grades bring the best premiums. Weak examples in circulated condition still carry a small bump over a normal 1945-D.

3. 1945-D D/Horiz D FS-506

This one’s a specific RPM where the secondary D impression sits horizontally instead of vertically. Under magnification, the misaligned punch is pretty obvious, making attribution easier than most RPM varieties.

The auction record sits at $962. That makes it one of the more valuable RPM errors in the Mercury Dime series. Strike quality and eye appeal push values higher from there.

4. 1945-S S/Horiz S FS-503

Same idea as the D/Horiz D, but on the San Francisco coin. A horizontal S sits beneath the normal upright S on the reverse. The mint mark was punched at the wrong angle first, then corrected.

You want a bold, clearly visible secondary impression. Faint ones still carry a premium, but the strong examples in Mint State are the real prizes.

5. 1945-S Inverted S FS-504

This is one of the most fun errors in the 1945 series. The S mint mark was punched upside down first, then corrected with a properly oriented punch. You get two overlapping impressions facing different directions — hard to miss once you know what you’re looking at.

Collectors love this one because it’s easy to spot and easy to explain. A strong inverted impression on a nice Mint State coin is the sweet spot for value.

 

Where to Sell Your 1945 Dime?

You’ve done the research, and now you have a solid sense of what your 1945 Dime is worth. The next step is finding the right place to sell. We’ve put together a full guide covering the best platforms to sell your coins online, complete with introductions, pros, and cons for each.

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

 

1945 Dime Market Trend

*Market Trend Chart showing the number of people paying attention to this coin.

 

FAQ about the 1945 Dime

1. How much is a 1945 Dime worth?

Circulated examples run a few dollars — basically melt value plus a small premium. Mint State coins climb fast, and the top sale is $96,000 for a 1945 No Mint Mark Dime graded MS67+FB, sold at Heritage Auctions in January 2018.

2. What makes a 1945 Dime valuable?

Mint mark, condition, and Full Bands. A coin with fully separated horizontal bands on the fasces is significantly rarer and commands a strong premium. Strike quality combined with a high Mint State grade is what turns a common coin into a four- or five-figure piece.

3. What is the Full Bands designation on a 1945 Dime?

Full Bands means the horizontal bands on the reverse fasces are fully struck and clearly separated — no mushiness, no merging. Only about 10-12% of 1945-S Micro S dimes show Full Split Bands. Philadelphia FB examples are even scarcer, which is why they top the price charts.

4. How do I identify the mint mark on a 1945 Dime?

Flip it over. Look between the “E” in ONE and the base of the olive branch. D = Denver, S = San Francisco, no mark = Philadelphia. On worn coins, you might need a loupe.

5. What is the 1945-S Micro S Dime?

A popular variety where a noticeably smaller “S” mint mark was used on some San Francisco dies. Collectors first spotted it in 1947. Circulated examples are affordable, while Full Bands specimens in top grades have reached $25,850 at auction.

6. Is a 1945 Dime made of silver?

Yes — 90% silver and 10% copper, with approximately 0.07234 troy ounces of silver content. That gives every 1945 Dime a melt value floor regardless of condition.

7. What errors exist on the 1945 Dime?

Several documented varieties: the Doubled Die Obverse (DDO FS-101), Repunched Mint Mark varieties on the Denver issue, the 1945-S S/Horiz S FS-503, and the 1945-S Inverted S FS-504. Off-center strikes are also known, with 10-15% off-center examples selling for $250-$460.

8. Why is the 1945 Dime the last of its kind?

The Mercury Dime series ran from 1916 to 1945. After President Franklin Roosevelt died in April 1945, the Treasury ordered a new dime design in his honor. The Roosevelt Dime entered circulation in 1946, ending nearly three decades of the Mercury design.

9. How can I tell if my 1945 Dime is in good condition?

Check the high points first. Liberty’s hair above the eye and her cheek wear down earliest. On the reverse, examine the olive branch and the bands on the fasces. If you see sharp details, no flat spots, and original luster, you’re likely looking at Mint State or near-Mint State condition.

10. Are all 1945 Dimes the same?

Not even close. Three mint mark varieties — Philadelphia (no mint mark), Denver (D), and San Francisco (S) — plus the Micro S sub-variety. Each has its own value range. Within every variety, Full Bands examples are considerably rarer and more valuable than standard strikes at the same grade.